Episode Five – Crossing the Equator
One last squall, entering the southern hemisphere, welcomed by dolphins and the deepest blue seas and skies in the doldrums.
Episode One – now live
For those who are interested in taking a look at some of the video from my trip, my first episode of crossing the South China Sea is now live: I’ll be editing the rest of the trip in the days and weeks ahead so feel free to subscribe to my new Youtube Channel if you […]
Epilogue (and photos)
“Heart” and “Disease” are two words you don’t want to see together. They certainly don’t look good sitting side by side on the screen in front of me as I type this. And I can assure you it doesn’t feel pleasant when it’s happening inside your chest. Within 24 hours of arriving in Cairns, I […]
Day 36 and 37 – Cursum Perficio – We made it!
How do I put into words what it feels like to be home? To be safe. To have finished my journey. When I sighted land yesterday, I was overcome with emotion. I was about 50Nm away so didn’t expect to see land that far out. Turns out Cairns has some of the highest mountains in […]
Day 35 – Penultimate
While it may be bumpy and blowy out here, it’s a blistering pace we’re setting, with a new record today of 165Nm in a 24-hour period, which takes the total log to 4000Nm. I’m going so fast in fact that by the time you read this, I’ll be almost finished. I hardly slept last night […]
Day 34 – Coral Sea
As I sit here and watch the waves roll by, cup of tea in hand (my coffee ran out weeks ago) the seas building and pressure increasing, I’m transported back to those first few days of this trip and my “baptism by fire”. So much has happened since then. To start with I’m much more […]
Day 33 – Game time
(written from a windy and bumpy Coral Sea) I awoke with the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. You know the ones you feel before a big game or before you’re about to start something challenging, big, or, dare I say, epic? These nerves, if used well, can be a great tool to ensure your […]
Day 32 – Final Prep
There are many “non-calendar” ways for knowing you’ve been at sea (and away from the internet) for a month. The length of your beard. The number on your daily food bag. Your morning video diary entry number. Or… the fact Spotify ever so kindly tells you to connect to the internet so it can verify […]
Day 31 – Fish on
I awoke feeling stronger and more energised than I had in days, thanks to my saviour, sleep. Sweet, restful, wonderful sleep. It’s almost as good as breathing. Price, according to my business school professors is a function of “value” and “scarcity”. For example, oxygen is immensely valuable but not scarce, hence its price is zero. […]
Day 30 – “Watch” fatigue
Because I’m navigating near land and have various islands and the risk of fishing boats and nets with no AIS nearby, I haven’t slept longer than 30 minute stretches the past 2 nights and am feeling the effects. When you’re on the open ocean, as long as the weather is OK, you can almost always […]